The Brothers Grimm is the country where they lived. The biography of the Brothers Grimm is not a fairy tale story of fairy tale writers

Biography: The Brothers Grimm

Jacob Grimm (1785-1863)

Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859)

Brothers Grimm - Jacob and Wilhelm- are among the universal minds of their time, that is, to that extremely rare breed people, in front of whose name we so easily, sometimes thoughtlessly put the epithet "genius", while experiencing a vague feeling of admiration, mixed with distrust. Indeed, the Brothers Grimm are perhaps more revered than known, apart from their popularity as collectors of fairy tales. Meanwhile, their activity was huge and versatile, it covered many areas that at first glance seemed alien to each other - Scandinavian mythology and legal history, collecting works of German folklore and compiling historical dictionary German language, and many many others. And if Wilhelm Grimm has periods of increased creative activity were replaced by periods of recession, which was mainly due to the weakness of his health, the life of Jacob Grimm was an uninterrupted inspired work and an obsessive scientific search, the results of which give us reason to call him "the father of German philology."

By origin, the Grimm brothers belonged to the so-called middle class. Their father was first a lawyer in Hanau (Hesse), and then entered the legal service of the Prince of Hanau. The Grimm brothers were born in the same place: Jacob - January 4, 1785, Wilhelm - February 24, 1786. From the very early youth they were connected by the closest ties of friendship, which was not interrupted throughout their lives. Their father died in 1796, leaving the family in a very straitened position, so that only thanks to the generosity of their mother's aunt, the Grimm brothers could complete their studies, for which they showed brilliant abilities very early. Jacob Grimm first studied at the Kassel Lyceum, then entered the University of Marburg, with the firm intention of following the example of his father to study law. He really listened to lectures at the Faculty of Law for some time and studied law, but soon realized that he was more interested in philology. In 1804, shortly after graduating from university, Jacob Grimm went to Paris to help prof. Savigny, to his former teacher in search of ancient manuscripts. Through Savigny, he met C. Brentano, who at that time, together with L. von Arnim, collected folk songs, legends and fairy tales, and was also inspired by this idea.

In 1808, Jacob Grimm became the personal librarian of Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, Jerome Bonaparte, then King of Westphalia. The king was very pleased with the work of the young librarian, did not burden him with unnecessary assignments and requests, and generally appeared in his own library extremely rarely, leaving Jacob complete freedom engage in scientific activities. In 1812 the Brothers Grimm published the first volume of their famous "Children's and Family Tales", three years later the second volume appeared; these two volumes included 200 folk tales and 10 so-called "children's legends". Two years after the publication of Tales, the Brothers Grimm released the collection German Traditions in two volumes. At the end of the war with France, in 1815, Jacob Grimm was sent along with a representative of the Electorate of Kassel to the Congress of Vienna, and he even opened up a profitable diplomatic career. But Yakob felt disgust for her, and in general, in office activities, he naturally saw only an obstacle to the pursuit of science. Therefore, in 1816, he left the service, rejected the professorship offered to him in Bonn, refused large salaries and preferred the modest position of a librarian in Kassel, where his brother had already worked as a secretary since 1814. Both brothers retained this modest position until 1820, while simultaneously engaging in various philological studies, and this period of their life was extremely fruitful in relation to their scientific activity.

In 1830, Jacob Grimm was invited to Göttingen as a professor of German literature and senior librarian at the University of Göttingen. Wilhelm entered there as a junior librarian and in 1831 was elevated to extraordinary, and in 1835 to ordinary professor. Both brothers lived well here, especially because here they met a friendly circle, which included the first luminaries of contemporary German science. Also in 1835, Jacob Grimm published his study "Germanic Mythology" here. This work is still considered a classic work on comparative mythology (the Brothers Grimm are the founders of the so-called "mythological school" in folklore; Friedrich Schelling and the Schlegel brothers, in particular, belonged to this school). But their stay in Göttingen was short-lived. new king The Hanoverian, who ascended the throne in 1837, decided to cancel the constitution given to Hanover by his predecessor, thereby arousing general discontent against himself; but only seven Goettingen professors had the courage to openly protest against the violation of the fundamental state law. The Brothers Grimm were among them. King Ernst-August responded to this with the immediate dismissal of all seven professors and the expulsion from Hanoverian borders of those of them who were not Hanoverian natives. Within three days, the Grimm brothers had to leave Hanover and temporarily settle in Kassel. But stood up for them public opinion Germany, and two major book publishers (Reimer and Hirzel) turned to them with a proposal to compile a German dictionary on the broadest scientific basis.

In 1840, the Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm wished to provide patronage to the brothers and invited them to Berlin. They were elected members of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and, as academicians, received the right to teach at the University of Berlin. Last years they devoted their lives chiefly to lecturing and scientific research, undertaking in 1852 an incredible amount and complexity of work on compiling a dictionary of the German language. After the death of Wilhelm in Kassel on December 16, 1859, and the death of Jakob in Berlin on September 20, 1863, this work was continued various groups scientists (completed in 1961)

Jakob Grimm entered the history of linguistics primarily as the author of the four-volume German Grammar. Its first volume is devoted to morphology and phonetics, the second - mainly to morphology, the third - to word formation and the fourth - to syntax. This study is based on a comparison historical basis all Germanic languages, covering a huge amount of material, starting with the first written monuments. Along with research by Fr. Bopp "On the system of conjugation of Sanskrit in comparison with the conjugation of Greek, Latin, Persian and Germanic languages" "German Grammar" by J. Grimm became the primary basis on the basis of which comparative historical linguistics subsequently arose. The founders of comparative studies did not confine themselves to comparing languages. In a number of their works, primarily in "German Grammar" by J. Grimm, the historical development of individual languages ​​and language groups was studied. Anticipating Humboldt's ideas, Jacob Grimm called language an ever-changing category in which conflicting forces or antinomies operate. "When studying the history of language, everywhere one sees a living movement, hardness, flexible, malleable variability, an incessant change of ups and downs, an indomitable desire for a new one that has never yet reached its final completion." All these changes in the language, caused by its unconsciously acting spirit, cause both the difficulty and ease of mastering the language, both foreign and native. It should be noted that Jacob Grimm was heavily influenced romantic ideas about the "spirit of the people" and its reflection in the language, emphasizing the role of data on folk dialects. Calling for the study of the "folk" language in all its living diversity, Jacob Grimm had a huge impact on the development of German dialectology.

Studying historical development Germanic languages ​​made it possible for J. Grimm to reveal the patterns of their phonetic development. He and some of his contemporaries own the first formulations of specific laws of sound changes in language. The concept of the sound law, introduced by F. Bopp in 1824 and developed by J. Grimm, was not yet given such fundamental importance at that time; on the other hand, it was developed by the next generations of comparativists.

It can be said that the Grimm brothers stood at the origins of German lexicography, undertaking a truly titanic work on compiling the first historical dictionary of the German language (from 1500 to the first half of the 19th century). For just one preparatory work it took 14 years, and in 1852 the first volume was published (the brothers brought the compilation of the dictionary to the word Frucht). The brunt of this hellish work was borne by Jacob Grimm, who was more good health and phenomenal performance. The dictionary was published in small editions, which were then combined into huge volumes. Dictionary entries in it include the most diverse, if not exhaustive, information about the word: etymology, history, word formation, grammatical and stylistic marks, all kinds of shades of meaning and examples of use. Until now, the Dictionary of the German Language by the Brothers Grimm is considered a unique publication, unparalleled in the history of world lexicography. It has been repeatedly reprinted and revised taking into account the changes taking place in the language. His latest edition came out, as already mentioned, in 1961 and had a volume of 32 volumes, which included 350 thousand words.

Comparative-historical method of disclosure of origins national culture And national spirit, developed by Jacob Grimm, turned out to be universal to a certain extent. In fact, the Brothers Grimm brought German philology out of the subordinate position that it occupied in the "historical school of law", and significantly expanded its boundaries. They included here linguistics, the history of the Germanic tribes and peoples, their ethnography, way of life, customs, source study and historiography, the search for and publication of all kinds of monuments of Russian literature. They also included here Germanic and comparative mythology, various areas of folklore. The Brothers Grimm found, published, translated and commented on many monuments of Germanic, Romanesque, Scandinavian and Celtic antiquities ("The Song of Hildebrandt", "German Traditions", "The Traditions of the Irish Elves", "Old Danish Heroic Songs" and much more). And so continuously - one work after another, until their very death. Perhaps something in their scientific research will now seem controversial and not free from a certain bias. But, according to Wilhelm Scherer, "the impulse that came from them, and those new goals that they indicated, have now become integral to the development of science, and each new escape carries a particle of it."

Wilhelm Grimm (02/24/1786 - 12/16/1859) and Jacob Grimm (01/04/1785 - 09/20/1863) were famous German writers and linguists. They collected numerous folklore home country which is reflected in their fairy tales. Their pen belongs to such works as "Snow White", " The Bremen Town Musicians”,“ Little Red Riding Hood ”,“ Cinderella ”. The Brothers Grimm are also the creators of the first dictionary of the German language.

Oh, how many different doubts and temptations there will be, Remember, our life is not a child's game. Drive away temptations, and know the unspoken law: Go, my friend, always go along the path of goodness.

Childhood

The Grimm brothers were born in Germany with a difference of a little more than a year. The elder Jacob was born on January 4, 1785, and the younger Wilhelm on January 24, 1786. Their father worked as a lawyer in the city of Hanau, he was a legal adviser to the local ruler. In total, the family had six children - in addition to future writers, another boy and three girls.

From birth, the brothers did everything only together - they played, walked, studied. Their favorite pastime was the study of everything that was around. So, they enthusiastically collected herbariums, observed the habits of animals, and then drew what they saw. And they were very fond of listening to various mythological stories and parables that adults told them.

When Jakob and Wilhelm were 11 and 10 respectively, their father passed away. The family was on the verge of death, as they lost their only breadwinner. But came to the rescue distant relative on the maternal side. This woman took care of the children. She sent her older brothers to study at the Kassel Lyceum, and after that they entered the University of Marburg. And they followed in the footsteps of their father - they began to study law.

Study and the beginning of creativity

While studying at the university, the Grimm brothers showed great talent for science. They were very diligent, and with pleasure absorbed all new information. The teachers predicted a great future for them in the legal field, but in the end everything turned out differently.

At some point, Wilhelm and Jacob became interested in collecting myths and legends. They met with a number of philologists, who gave them rich food for research. The brothers began to study the origins of numerous fables and parables. They were wondering where the roots of these stories "grow". A huge impact the future of writers was provided by Professor Friedrich Carl von Savigny. He himself was engaged in the study of ancient manuscripts and often attracted brothers to this occupation.

After graduating from university, Grimm's career paths diverged a bit. Jakob began to work as a lawyer, and Wilhelm as a secretary in the library of the city of Kassel. Moreover, younger brother he envied the elder a little, since the law weighed on him, he wanted to be closer to books. Therefore, at 31, he retired from the service and even turned down a tempting job offer as a teacher at the university. Instead, he got a job in the same library where Wilhelm worked. And together they returned to their favorite pastime - the study of German folklore.

Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Their first collection of folklore came out in 1812, it was called "Children's and family tales". It includes works known to the whole world today - "Snow White", "The Wolf and the Seven Kids", "The Bremen Town Musicians". There was also the famous Little Red Riding Hood. The literary world already knew this story, since it was written by Charles Perrault more than a hundred years before the Brothers Grimm. But it was the version of Wilhelm and Jacob that became the fairy tale that every child and adult knows today.

All Grimm stories were a reflection of ancient legends, myths and parables. And in their debut collection, they indicated in detail what this or that story was based on. But at the same time, the brothers quite seriously altered the original source, giving it a more literary look and removing absolutely terrible scenes from it. As a result, the collection "Children's and Family Tales" became a real sensation in the philological environment. All the experts who read it noted the main thing - the fairy tales were written very lively and plain language, and therefore they fell in love with themselves from the first lines and did not let go until the very end.

In 1815, the second volume of Tales was published. It was supplemented by such works as "The Brave Little Tailor", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty". And the story "About the fisherman and his wife", which was later used as a basis by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in his "Golden Fish".

In total, two volumes of "Tales" contained more than 230 different stories. And many of them have become real classics. These works of the Brothers Grimm were reprinted many times, they were filmed many times. And almost all parents read these fairy tales to their children at night.

German dictionary

But, carried away by the study of folklore, Wilhelm and Jacob did not forget about scientific activities. In the course of their research, they came across such a situation that in Germany at that time there were many different dialect languages. But at the same time there was no single, understandable to all peoples.

And so they decided to create the first "Dictionary of the German Language" in the history of the country. It was a titanic work. They took a word and gave detailed information to it - meaning, etymology, examples of use and various notes.

Unfortunately, this work was so voluminous that the Grimm brothers could not finish it. They described more than 350 thousand words. But this was only enough to fill in five letters - A, B, C, D and E. Their work had to be completed by subsequent scientists. And interestingly, it was completed relatively recently. The Brothers Grimm began compiling a dictionary in 1840, and the last word it was included in 1961. That is, this scientific work was written for more than 100 years.

Brothers Grimm ( Jacob, January 4, 1785 – September 20, 1863 and William, February 24, 1786 - December 16, 1859) - German philologists, linguists, researchers folk culture, the founders of German philology, the founders of comparative studies and world famous authors of fairy tales. Both brothers were born in Hanau, Germany.

From the early age brothers-weather Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were connected by close ties of friendship, which was strong throughout their lives. After graduating from the Kassel Lyceum, the Grimm brothers entered the University of Marburg, wanting to study law. However, later the Grimm brothers began to devote more and more free time to the study of domestic German and foreign literature.

In 1812, the biography of the Brothers Grimm begins, as an inseparable creative union of world-famous fairy tale writers. It was then that they released the first volume of Children's and Family Tales. In 1815 the second volume was published, in 1822 the third.

In 1815 Jacob Grimm was sent along with a representative of the Electorate of Kassel to the Congress of Vienna. In 1816, the elder Grimm left the service, having rejected the professorship offered in Bonn, and took the place of a librarian in Kassel, where his brother Wilhelm Grimm had been secretary of the library since 1814. In 1816–1818 Brothers Grimm published a collection of legends "German Traditions".

The biography of the Grimm brothers as library workers continued until 1835. All free time brothers gave philology and collecting fairy tales and legends. In 1830 Jacob Grimm was invited to Göttingen as a professor of German literature and senior librarian at the local university. Wilhelm entered there as a junior librarian, and in 1835 he was promoted to ordinary professor.

The Grimm brothers were dismissed from the university in 1837 for protesting the change in the constitution by the new king. In 1840 Friedrich-Wilhelm of Prussia came to the throne, marking the beginning of the Berlin stage in the biography of the Grimm brothers. Responding to the king's challenge, the Grimm brothers arrived in Berlin, where they were elected members of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and received the right to lecture at the University of Berlin. Since then, the Grimm brothers lived in Berlin permanently until their death.

The last years of the biography of the Brothers Grimm were devoted mainly to lecturing and scientific research. In 1852, the Grimm brothers began compiling a dictionary of the German language.

Wilhelm Grimm died in December 1859, having completed work on the letter D of a German dictionary. Jacob Grimm outlived his brother by almost four years, completing the letters A, B, C, and E. He died at his desk while working on the word "Frucht" (fruit).

After the death of the Brothers Grimm, this work was continued different groups scientists. It was completed only in 1961.

Jacob Grimm (01/04/1785 - 09/20/1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (02/24/1786 - 12/16/1859); Germany, Hanau

The Brothers Grimm are not only famous storytellers who are known all over the world, but also philologists, linguists, founders of modern German studies. You can read, watch and listen to the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm in almost all languages ​​of the world. The stories have been filmed many times. The fairy tale about "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is especially popular, based on which films, TV shows, and cartoons were shot.

Biography of the Brothers Grimm

The writers were born in Hanau, Germany, in the family of a lawyer. From birth, the brothers were very friendly, and their friendship lasted a lifetime. In 1796, Father Grimm died, and only with the help of their aunt, Jacob and Wilhelm completed their studies at the Kassel Lyceum. The next step in their development was studying at the University of Marburg, where writers studied law. However, it soon became apparent that the brothers were much more interested in philology than in legal sciences. As in the case of the enthusiasm for literature, the brothers owe it to a professor at their university. Professor Savigny managed to instill in the brothers not only a love for literature, but also to focus on the beauty of the German book. The brothers spent more than one hour with the professor, reading old folios. Grim began to devote more and more time to literature, and eventually devoted her whole life to it.

In 1812, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm were first published in Berlin, with a circulation of 900 copies. The second volume came out a little later. The collection "Children's and Family Tales" collected fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm, the list of which included 10 legends and 200 fairy tales, for example, "The Poor and the Rich Man" and "The King from the Golden Mountain". And two years later, the world saw a new collection of writers "German Traditions". Their collections were heavily criticized for containing fairy tales that were not very suitable for children to read. The tales often featured scenes of intimacy, cruelty, and violence, as well as inserts with academic explanations. Later, the brothers republished and supplemented these collections, bringing them to a single literary style. How later they collected their fairy tales and wrote down from the words different people sometimes even traded their clothes for fairy tales. Along with songs and poems, the brothers collected stories and legends of the German people, passed from mouth to mouth for centuries. Their work is not only fairy tales, Grimm compiled and wrote historically important work"Monuments of German antiquity", which contains unique materials about the customs, habits, beliefs of the ancient Germans. This work, to this day, is of great importance. The writers were familiar with Goethe, who showed interest in their research and helped to get valuable materials for work. In 1825, Wilhelm Grimm tied the knot with Henrietta Dorothea Wild, three years later they had a son, a well-known literary historian in the future.

In 1830 Jacob was invited to the University of Göttingen to lecture on German literature. And also to take the place of the senior librarian. Wilhelm got a job there as a junior librarian, and soon Grimm organized a circle of researchers in German science. It was in Göttingen that Jacob published his research on Germanic mythology. They did not stay in Göttingen for long; by order of the king, the brothers were dismissed from the university and exiled outside Hanover for life. This happened due to the fact that they, in a group with university professors, opposed the abolition of the constitution of the Kingdom of Hanover. Friends of the writers did not remain indifferent to their fate and found them a patron - Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia. It was at his insistence that in 1840 the brothers received the right to teach at the University of Berlin. The writers devoted the rest of their lives to lecturing, and the Brothers Grimm filled their biography with many studies and literary achievements. For example, in 1852, writers began work on the very first entomological German dictionary. Only preparation period took 14 years. But they did not manage to bring their work to its logical conclusion. Wilhelm's life ended on December 16, 1859. And on September 20, 1863, his brother Jacob Grimm died right at his desk. Their work was completed by a group of scientists only in 1961. The work of these eminent writers brought to the world best fairy tales Grimm, magnificent scientific works, the value of which is invaluable to this day.

Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm at Top Books

The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm have been popular for many generations, both in our country and around the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the works of the Brothers Grimm are presented in ours, as well as in. And given the continuing interest in the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, we will see them more than once on the pages of our site.

Complete list of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm

First Edition Volume 1:

• White Snake
• Brother-Merry
• Brother and sister
• Bremen street musicians
• Faithful Johannes
• wolf and fox
• The wolf and the seven Young goats
• wolf and man
• The thief and his teacher
• Voshka and Flea
• Every rabble
• Profitable turnover
• Hans gets married
• Hansl-Player
• Carnation
• Mr Corbes
• Lady Labor
• Two brothers
• twelve brothers
• twelve hunters
• Handless girl
• Clever Gretel
• Brownies
• Friendship of a cat and a mouse
• Bridegroom Robber
• Mystery
• golden bird
• golden goose
• golden children
• Cinderella
• Jorinda and Joringel
• King Thrushbeard
• The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Fox and geese
• Fox and Kuma
• Thumb boy
• Blizzard (Mistress of the Dungeon)
• Dear Roland
• little man
• Foundlings
• bunny bride
• About a mouse, a bird and a sausage
• Motley Pelt
• Tailor in Heaven (Tailor in Heaven)
• singing bone
• Adopted Mother of God
• Knapsack, cap and horn
• Rapunzel
• Rumplestiltskin
• Mermaid
• Lady Lisa's wedding
• seven ravens
• Tale of the Enchanted Tree
• The tale of the demise of the hen
• Tale of the fisherman and his wife
• Tale of who went to fear to learn
• Death in godfathers
• Smart Hans
• dog and sparrow
• Straw, coal and bean
• sleeping Beauty
• Old grandfather and granddaughter
• Old Sultan
• Cover table, golden donkey and club from a sack
• Thumb Boy's Wanderings
• Happy Hans
• Three snake leaves
• Three little woodsmen
• Three feathers
• Three spins
• Three lucky people
• Three languages
• Smart Elsa
• Frieder and Katherlischen
• Brave little tailor
• queen bee
• The devil in godfathers
• The devil with the three golden hairs
• Quirky Musician
• wonder bird
• Six will pass through the whole world
• six swans

First Edition Volume 2:

• Poor farmhand and kitty
• The poor and the rich
• White and black bride
• Fearless prince
• God's Beasts and Damn Beasts
• Thief in the thorn
• Crow
• Hans hedgehog
• Goose
• Two wanderers
• Twelve lazy workers
• The Girl from Brakel
• Dr. Know-It-All
• domestic servants
• Spirit in a bottle
• iron furnace
• Iron Hans
• living water
• star thalers
• earth man
• Zimeli Mountain
• Trampled Shoes
• Kneist and his three sons
• Reforged Man
• royal children
• Wren and bear
• King from the golden mountain
• Beauty Catrinellier and Pif-Paf-Poltri
• lazy spinner
• Fox and horse
• teddy bear
• young giant
• On the way on the road
• ungrateful son
• One-eye, two-eye and three-eye
• Werewolf donkey
• Donkey
• shepherd boy
• Song-skipper-lark
• cock log
• Reasoners
• Shroud
• Willful child
• Seven Swabians
• blue candle
• Tale about already
• sweet porridge
• quick-witted little tailor
• Smotriny
• old beggar woman
• old woman in the forest
• Old Hildebrand
• Three brothers
• Three lazy
• Three birdies
• Three paramedics
• Three black princesses
• Three apprentices
• Stolen penny
• Clever peasant daughter
• scientist huntsman
• Ferenand the Faithful and Ferenand the Unfaithful
• Flail from the sky
• The devil and his grandmother
• Damn dirty brother
• Four skillful brothers
• six servants
• Lamb and fish

Second edition:

• Sparrow and his four children
• Dmitmarskaya fairy tale-fiction
• Ocheski
• A fairy tale about an unprecedented country
• Mystery fairy tale

Third edition:

• Pauper in the sky
• White and Rose
• vulture bird
• Lazy Heinz
• Strong Hans
• glass coffin
• smart servant

Fourth Edition:

• Drummer
• Poor fellow in the mogul
• The giant and the tailor
• Spindle, shuttle and needle
• Lifetime
• Bittern and hoopoe
• Nail
• Gosling at the well
• Gifts of the Little Folk
• hare and hedgehog
• Artful Thief
• true bride
• Flounder
• Wren
• forest house
• Master Pfrim
• Guinea pig
• The man and the devil
• Harbingers of death

Fifth Edition:

• Mermaid in the pond
• Skinny Lisa
• Bread crumbs on the table

Sixth Edition:

• Maiden Malein
• Golden Key
• grave hill
• Buffalo boot
• Old Rinkrank
• grain ear
• crystal ball

Children's legends:

• Poverty and humility lead to salvation
• God fed
• hazel branch
• twelve apostles
• boy in paradise
• Glasses of Our Lady
• old man in the forest
• old lady
• Three green branches

Grimm Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) - German philologists, professors and academicians of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, writers, collectors of folklore, storytellers.

Notable works:

1. "Golden Goose".
2. "Dog and Sparrow".
3. "Miss Metelitsa".
4. Hansel and Gretel, etc.

The Brothers Grimm: a biography for children and adults

The brothers were born in the provincial German town of Hanau (Hesse) in the family of a lawyer. From childhood, children were brought up with a sense of duty, honor, and decency. In 1796, the father died, and the mother left six children in her arms, who had not only to be fed, but also given a decent education. Their aunt came to the aid of the Grimm family, the mother's sister, on whose money the brothers studied.

They studied extremely well, so they graduated from the Kassel Lyceum almost twice as fast as their peers (1802). The brothers were fond of drawing, collecting various books. Then there was a study at the Faculty of Law of the University of Marburg, because the mother really wanted her sons to follow in the footsteps of their father ... But Jacob and Wilhelm chose a different biography for themselves.

At that time, the German lands were fragmented, torn into separate counties and principalities. But mutual language and oral folk art united the inhabitants of individual German lands into a single nation. Perhaps that is why the Germans survived as a people in the turbulent whirlpools of history.

At the beginning of the XIX century. German lands were occupied by French troops led by Napoleon. Of course, the Germans could not resist one of the best armies in the world at that time. Many of them even served with the French, such as Jacob Grimm.

Therefore, the increased attention of German writers to folklore, which was a symbol for them national idea, became a kind of manifestation of their liberation aspirations.

The Brothers Grimm also joined this painstaking work.. They set off in search of folk treasures in order to “awaken the works sleeping for centuries, resurrect the ancient wisdom beloved by the heart, dozing in the shadows.” The brothers collected precious pearls - folk tales and the traditions that were manifestations for them folk spirit. Friends and acquaintances of the Brothers Grimm also joined this cause.

In 1812, in the biography of the Grimm brothers, the first creative success- they published their first collection "Children's and Family Tales", which included 100 works.

The second volume came out two years later., which contained 70 fairy tales. In 1822 the book was published in its final edition. The Germans, and with them the whole world, learned stories about:

• the brave tailor and King Thrushbeard;
• the Bremen Town Musicians;
• Hansel and Gretel.

Takova short biography writers of the Brothers Grimm and their creative path.

The merit of the Brothers Grimm lies not only in the fact that they collected German fairy tales.

The significance of the work of the Brothers Grimm in world literature

In an effort to preserve the originality of folk fantasy and language, they were the first in the history of literature to begin to seriously, scientifically study oral folk art. In total, the brothers wrote down almost 600 legends and tales, published three books of fairy tales, wrote a study “On the Origin of the Language”, for twenty years they worked on the four-volume “German Grammar”, etc.

The activities of the brothers go beyond the scope of German science and culture - they have made a great contribution to the development of world culture. In the study of folklore, the Grimm brothers were innovators. Later collect and record folk wisdom started in Russia, Norway and other countries of the world.

Other biographies.